The five-time Ballon d'Or victor told FC Barcelona that week that he wanted to leave and, according to Mundo Deportivo, he even specified that he wanted to head to Man City.

The fine-for-time deal was presented by Messi's lawyers to the judge who will rule on whether to suspend his sentence - as is widely expected - state prosecutor Isabel Lopez Riera said.

The shocking revelation comes just days after reports emerged that Cristiano Ronaldo is desperate to leave Real Madrid after he too was accused of tax evasion by Spanish prosecutors.

Messi and his father defrauded the Spanish tax office of 4.1 million euros between 2007 and 2009 by using a web of shell companies based in Belize, Switzerland and Uruguay to evade taxes on income from the player's image rights.

However, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Friday that the public prosecutor has agreed to substitute the sentence for a fine of €255,000.

Trump calls Warmbier's death a 'total disgrace'
Earlier this month, Moon temporarily halted the installation of a US missile shield pending an environmental impact assessment. In an interview broadcast today on CBS News , newly-elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in joined in condemning the North.

And so it begins: Brexit talks to focus 1st on orderly exit
Instead of having a slim majority in Parliament, May's Conservative Party lost 13 seats, and with it their majority power. There will be a "two-phased" negotiation, with divorce terms to be set first before talks on future trade relations.

Trump claims his approval rating is higher than Obama's
The poll says that 36 percent of Americans polled approve of President Trump's job performance, while 57 percent disapprove. CBS News noted that more than half of Republicans call the investigation a political distraction that should be put aside.

Hearing scheduled on release of Cosby jury names
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Vigil For Woman Shot By Seattle Police Draws Dozens
Sunday after she called to report a burglary, according to the Seattle Police Department's online crime-blotter page". The two officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

Nintendo Switch Update Helps You Find Missing Joy-Cons
The video is above, and it's a lot of fun if you think the Switch is a little more gimmicky than you think it needs to be. The " Metroid " announcements are the latest evidence that Nintendo is finally paying attention to its most serious fans.